Chapter 31: 31
Qin Ruan propped herself up on her elbow, leaning closer to Wen Yixin, her eyes fixed intently on her. Seeing Wen Yixin's hesitation, she asked again softly, "Is it okay, Sister Wen?"
Wen Yixin subconsciously clenched her hand, wrinkling the picnic blanket beneath her. She opened her mouth, speaking slowly, "Isn't sitting like this comfortable enough? Why do you suddenly want to lie down?"
A hint of difficulty flashed across Qin Ruan's face as she sat up straight and showed her slightly reddened palm to Wen Yixin. "I wanted to sit like you, but after propping myself up for a while, it started to feel uncomfortable."
"Look, it's already a bit red here." Qin Ruan pointed to the reddish area on her palm.
Wen Yixin lowered her gaze to examine the spot Qin Ruan indicated. It was indeed as she said, slightly red and imprinted.
But this was quite normal, considering the pressure. Even Wen Yixin, though she hadn't looked at her own hand, knew it would likely be similar.
Wen Yixin raised an eyebrow, speaking rather bluntly, "In that case, why don't you just sit without propping yourself up?"
Qin Ruan fell silent, feeling slightly deflated. She gestured toward a couple nearby, lying on each other's laps. "Sister Wen, don't you want to lie down like them? It might be more comfortable than just sitting."
Wen Yixin shook her head. "I prefer sitting like this."
"If you want to lie down, why not rest here?" Wen Yixin said as she pulled her woven bag over, placing it beside her. She patted the bag and said, "You can use this as a pillow. There's nothing inside, so it won't be uncomfortable."
Qin Ruan said nothing, her mood visibly dimming. She averted her gaze, then gently pushed the bag aside. "I'd rather not. I'm worried about squashing it and making it look bad when you use it."
Wen Yixin looked at Qin Ruan's disappointed expression and then heard her considerate words. She began to question if she was being too cold-hearted.
As this thought persisted, especially seeing the people around them lying down or resting on each other, Wen Yixin's doubts grew.
She pressed her lips together and was about to say something when she noticed Qin Ruan had already lain down beside her, with her dark hair brushing Wen Yixin's knee and falling gently to the ground.
Qin Ruan was now lying next to her knee.
Wen Yixin hesitated, the words she intended to say swallowed back.
Qin Ruan didn't notice Wen Yixin's thoughts, only seeing her looking at her with an unreadable expression. Feeling uncomfortable under Wen Yixin's gaze, Qin Ruan asked, "Sister Wen, why are you looking at me like that?"
Then, after a pause, she added, "Am I too close?"
She shifted slightly, propping herself up on her elbow, ready to move away.
Wen Yixin paused, then shook her head slightly. "No."
"I just thought you might want to eat something first before lying down."
Qin Ruan relaxed and resumed lying down beside Wen Yixin's knee, her head occasionally brushing against it.
"I'm not hungry yet. You can go ahead and eat, Sister Wen."
"Alright." Wen Yixin didn't press the matter further and instead focused on finding something to eat.
Qin Ruan, lying on her back, gazed up at the clear blue sky, raising her phone to take a few photos.
The sky was blue and beautiful.
She turned her head towards Wen Yixin, initially wanting to share the photos with her. But when she saw Wen Yixin busy picking out food, not noticing her, she reflexively pressed the camera button.
The next moment, her photo album contained a new picture of a graceful woman.
Qin Ruan blinked, surprised, and called out softly, "Sister Wen…"
Wen Yixin turned to look at her. "What is it?"
Qin Ruan, clutching her phone, quickly pressed the camera button again just as Wen Yixin looked over.
Another click, another capture.
Breathing a little easier, Qin Ruan slowly answered Wen Yixin's earlier question. "It's nothing. I just thought the sky looked beautiful today."
"And the air feels really nice." Qin Ruan then raised her phone and snapped another photo of the sky behind Wen Yixin.
Wen Yixin raised an eyebrow. "The air in the park is indeed fresh."
As for the sky, Wen Yixin glanced up. It was indeed a beautiful blue.
While the scenery was lovely, Wen Yixin was more interested in eating. So, after a quick look, she returned to unwrapping a soft bread roll.
She wore disposable gloves as she tore off a piece of the bread and placed it in her mouth, chewing slowly.
"Do you want some?" Wen Yixin asked, offering another piece of bread as she prepared to take a bite.
Qin Ruan nodded. "I'd like some."
Hearing this, Wen Yixin handed the bread to Qin Ruan's lips, saying, "You should sit up to eat. It's not convenient lying down."
"It's fine." Qin Ruan shook her head, propping herself up slightly with her elbow, and leaned closer to Wen Yixin's hand, slowly taking a bite of the bread.
"Do you want more?" Wen Yixin asked.
Qin Ruan nodded, pointing to the fruit platter. "Sister Wen, could I have some green grapes?"
"Sure." Wen Yixin agreed, picking up a few grapes and holding them to Qin Ruan's lips, feeding her one by one.
At first, Wen Yixin didn't think much of it. But when she looked up and saw Qin Ruan's smile, and the last grape resting on her lips, she realized how intimate their actions had become.
Wen Yixin hesitated, momentarily lost in thought. Then, in a swift motion, she pressed the final grape into Qin Ruan's mouth, her finger briefly brushing against Qin Ruan's lips.
The grape burst slightly, releasing some juice that trickled down the corner of Qin Ruan's mouth.
Wen Yixin froze.
So did Qin Ruan, clearly not expecting this turn of events.
"Sister Wen…" Qin Ruan began, but stopped halfway.
Wen Yixin's soft fingers gently wiped away the juice from the corner of Qin Ruan's mouth, her eyes half-lidded.
Qin Ruan couldn't see the emotion in Wen Yixin's eyes but sensed a certain intensity in her quick movements.
Was she feeling uneasy?
Qin Ruan hesitated before biting down on the grape, the sweet juice filling her mouth.
She smiled, her eyes curving as she thanked Wen Yixin. "Thank you, Sister Wen."
After speaking, she shifted slightly, resting her head on Wen Yixin's lap instead of beside it.
Feeling the weight on her lap, Wen Yixin was taken aback.
She glanced down at Qin Ruan, who looked just as surprised.
Qin Ruan, lying on Wen Yixin's lap, turned her head, her clear eyes meeting Wen Yixin's gaze. "Sister Wen, I didn't mean to lie on your lap. It was an accident."
"You're not mad, are you? I'll get up right away. Please don't be upset."
Wen Yixin remained silent.
She wasn't upset or angry at all, but Qin Ruan's words made her sound so petty.
She hadn't agreed to Qin Ruan resting on her lap earlier, but she wasn't going to be upset over an accident.
Seeing Qin Ruan actually starting to get up, Wen Yixin sighed, trying to keep her voice calm. "It's fine."
"You don't have to move. I don't mind."
"You really don't?" Qin Ruan's eyes lit up.
"Really," Wen Yixin nodded.
Qin Ruan couldn't help but smile. "Sister Wen, you're so kind."
Wen Yixin, seeing the joy in Qin Ruan's eyes, felt her earlier irritation fade away.
It was just resting on her lap, after all. There was no need to overthink it.
She shook her head, smiling at herself for being overly cautious.
Feeling content, Qin Ruan shifted slightly on Wen Yixin's lap, finding a comfortable spot to rest her head. It felt just right.
She smiled happily, looking up at Wen Yixin. "Sister Wen, am I too heavy? Am I making you uncomfortable?"
"You're not heavy at all. It's perfectly fine," Wen Yixin replied gently.
"That's good," Qin Ruan said with a smile, picking up her phone to look through the photos she had taken earlier.
She scrolled through the pictures, pausing when she reached the ones of Wen Yixin.
After enlarging the two photos, she decided to keep them private, setting them so only she could see.
Qin Ruan lowered her eyes, her finger hovering over a picture of the sky she had taken. She hesitated for a moment before changing her WeChat profile picture to that photo.
After updating her profile, she turned to Wen Yixin. "Sister Wen, I just changed my WeChat profile picture. Can you take a look and tell me if it's nice?"
Wen Yixin opened WeChat and found Qin Ruan's profile, enlarging the picture. After a moment, she replied warmly, "It's very nice."
"The photo turned out really well," Wen Yixin complimented.
Qin Ruan's face lit up with a smile.
That evening, after having dinner outside, Wen Yixin and Qin Ruan returned home together.
As soon as they got back, Wen Yixin carried the bag of dishes and containers into the kitchen. These were from the food Qin Ruan had prepared for their picnic, and Wen Yixin wanted to wash them now that they were home.
Seeing Wen Yixin heading towards the kitchen, Qin Ruan followed her and asked, "Sister Wen, what are you doing?"
"Washing the dishes," Wen Yixin replied briefly.
"I'll help," Qin Ruan offered.
Wen Yixin nodded, not refusing her help. She knew that even if she had, Qin Ruan would have insisted on helping, so she didn't bother arguing.
In the kitchen, Wen Yixin placed all the dishes in the sink, and as she started running warm water, she glanced at Qin Ruan's white dress. "Do you need gloves and an apron?"
Qin Ruan looked down at her dress and nodded. "That would be good."
"The apron is over there," Wen Yixin said, pointing to a navy-blue apron hanging on the wall.
Qin Ruan understood, walking over to take the apron and put it on. As she tried to tie the strings behind her, she paused.
She walked over to Wen Yixin and, her eyes flickering slightly, asked, "Sister Wen, could you help me tie the apron?"
"I've never tied one before, and it seems a bit tricky."
Wen Yixin paused, turning off the water. She looked over at Qin Ruan and saw that the navy-blue apron was loosely draped over her shoulders.
It was clear she hadn't tied the strings yet.
Wen Yixin frowned slightly.
Seeing Wen Yixin's furrowed brow, Qin Ruan couldn't help but bite her lip. Despite her nervousness, she softly asked:
"Sister Wen, could you help me?"
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